Hopper-car.



A. CAMPBELL.

HOPPER GAR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20, 1912 1,0?1,699. a nted Sept. 2, 1913.

o O OO O 0 G0 0 OOOOCODQO A. CAMPBELL.

HOPPER GAR.

APPLIUATION FILED DEC. 20, 1912.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

A. CAMPBELL.

HOPPER GAR.

APPLIOAIION FILED DBO. 20, 1912.

Pat-entd Sept. 2,1913.

A. CAMPBELL.

HOPPER OAR.

APPLIUATION FILED DEC. 20, 1912. 1 O71,699 Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ARGYLE CAMPBELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 ENTERPRISE RAILWAYEQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

HOPPER-CAR.

, Specification ot Letters Patent.-

Patented Sept. 2, 1.913.

Application filed. December 20, 1912. Serial No. 737,784.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AnoYLn Caurnnnn, acitizen of the United States, residing in .(Jhicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Im provementin Hopper-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in hopper cars, and moreparticularly to the operating mechanism for the hopper doors thereof.

()no object of the lIlVOlltiUZl is to provide a hopper car of a simple,strtiig, el'licient and dhrablc construction, provided with operatingshafts which are common to several sets of hopper doors and adapted tooperate the latter simultaneously.

Another object of the invention is to provide an operating mechanism forthe hop )er doors, of few parts and minimum number of shafts, to therebydecrease the cost of construetion and save time in opening and closingthe doors.

Other and more specific objects of the invention are: to arrange thetransversely extending operating sha'tts in such a way that it isunnecessary to out the center sills, which would thereby he weakened; toso dispose the operating shafts that the same are below and exterior tothe hoppers; to provide space between some of the sets of hoppers forcross ties, and to provide novel means for adjusting the length of thecon neetions between the hopper doors and the winding drums of the dooroperating mechanism.

The invention furthermore consists. in the improvements in the parts anddevices, and in the novel combinations of parts and devices hereinshown, described or claimed.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figural is a topplan view of half of a hopper car having my improvements embodiedtherein. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal, vertical section of'the structureshown in Fig. 1 and taken substantially on the line 2+2 thereof. Fig. 3is a trans verse, vertical section, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.Fig. 4 is a detail, vertical sectional View, upon an enlarged scale,showing parts of the door operating mechanism. Fig. 5 is a transverse,detail, sectional view taken substantially on line 5-.''') of Fig. 4.and showing parts oi the operating mechanism, and Fig. (5 is a detailsectional view, taken substantially on the line (k-6 of Fig. 5.

In said drawing, my improvements are shownas applied to a hopper car ofthe type generally known as the seventy ton, flat bottom hopper carwhich, as usually constructed, is provided with twelve hoppers arrangedtransversely of the car with six hoppers on each side of the centersill, but, as will he understood, the improvements are susceptible ofuse on other types of hopper cars.

The carbody is designated generallyby the reference A, and as shown isprovided with a plurality of transversely extending hoppers 13, saidhoppers B being arranged in sets of four. The drawings in Figs. 1 and 9illustrateapproximately a half of a car, said car being provided withtwelve ho pers, arranged in three sets of four eac that is, each setcomprises two adjacent hoppers on each side of the center sill. Thehoppers in each set are divided by vertically extending partitions 10and the adjacent hoppers of two sets are ,divided by partitions 100.Each hopper B has the bottom thereof formed by means of a pair ofhinged, oppositely swinging hopper doors 11, said hopper doors, when inclosed position, forming what may be termed a substantially flat bottom,as contradistinguished 't'rom hoppers of the V shaped type. The doors ofeach set of four hoppers are operated simultaneously by similarmechanism, and I shall only describe the mechanism for operating thedoors of one set. This mechanism, as shown, comprises a common,transversely extending operating shaft 12, mounted in suitable dependinbrackets 13 at the center of the car, secure to the bottoms of thecenter sills 14 and suported at its outer end by suitable dependmgbrackets 15.. Secured to said she t 12, intermediate the brackets 13,are a pair of winding pulleys 16, to each of which is socured a chain17, said chains being ada ted to wind upon said pulleys, as will be 0vious, and being extended in opposite directions (see Fig. 4), andsecured to pulleys 18, each of said pulleys 18 being mounted on a shortshaft 19, rotatably mounted in suitable hearings 20 secured to the innersides of the center sills 14. Each of said shafts 19 is also providedwith a polygonal drum 21,

having an ofiset lug 22 and a locking face To each lug 22 is pivotallysecured, on opg iosite sides thereof, a pair of triangular :-rhapedplates 24:, the latter having pivotally connected thereto, between thesame at their onterends, a hook shaped link 25, bifurcated at its lowerend, as at 26, and having detach-ably, pivotally mounted within saidbifurcations, an eye -bolt 27, adjustably mounted in a threaded, diamondshaped block 28, more particularly described hereinafter. Also pivotallysecured to said triangular shaped plates 24, and on the outsidesthereof, are a pair of hook shaped links 29, the latter havingdetachably, pivotally mounted therebetween at their lower ends, anothereyebolt 2'4.

Each threaded block 28 is mounted between offset portions 80 oftransversely extending channel irons 231, which are secured to the underfaces of the hinged hopper doors 11, said channels, as will be understood, being adapted to operate the hopper doors on each side of thecenter sill in pairs sinmltaneously, and the block 28 being locatedcentrally of the car beneath the center sills. Each eye-bolt 27, asabove described, is dctachably pivoted to the ends of the hook shapedlinks, as by means of a removable pin 32, and. by removing said pin 32,the eye-bolt may be adjusted within the block 28. it will also be notedthat each eye-bolt 27 is provided with a longitudinally extending slotthrough which is adapted to a cotter pin 3st, the latter being used soas to properly retain the eye-bolt in position within the block 28, andthereby prevent twisting of the connections between the doors and thewinding drums. It will also be noted that the block 28 is ofsubstantially the same height as the channel irons 31, and thattherefore the adjustment between the eye-bolt and the block isaccomplished witlr out extending the eye-bolt beyond the parts of thedoor. .lach triangular shaped plate 24. is provided with a flat bottomface 35,

' which coiiperates with the locking face 23 of the polygonal drum, thelatter being also provided with lugs 36 on the outsides of thetriangular members 24, on which rest the.

hook ends of the links 29. The pivotal connections of the hook shapedlinks are so arranged that lines passing through the centers of thepivotal connections, when the doors are in closed position, will be toone side of the center of rotation of the polygonal drums, so that theload on. the doors will have no tendency to release or unlock theoperating mechanism.

From l' ifd'. 2 of the drawing, it will be seen that the partitions 100between the adjacent hoppers of two sets of hoppers are inewhatshorten-Anon those referenced above the operating shafts. 'Inlsarrangement is made so that space is provided for cross-ties 37, securedto the bottoms of the center sills and to the bottoms of theintermediate partitions 100 and the various hopper sheets to therebyprovide increased strength for-the car. i a From the foregoingdescription, it will be seen that I have provided a construction whereinonly three operating shafts are required to open and close twelve pairsof hopper doors, whereas, so far as I am aware, it has generally beencustomary to provide an operating shaft for each pair of transverselyarranged hoppers. It will also be noted that the operating mechanism isso arranged that the center sills are not cut away, since the shortshafts supporting the po lygonal drums and pulleys are mounted. betweenthe same, and that the operating shafts themselves are entirely exteriorto the hoppers, and thus are not likely to become injured by thematerial of the load.

Although I have herein shown and described what I now consider thepreferred embodiment of my invention, yet I would have it understoodthat the same is merely illustrative, and that all changes andmodifications are contemplated as come within the scope of the claimsappended hereto.

1. A hopper car comprising, in. combination: a car body having a pair oftransversely arranged, substantially flat bottom hoppers located on thesame side of the cent-er sill, the bottoms of'ithe hoppers being formedby hinged hopper doors; a common, transversely disposed, operating shaft located intermediate said. hoppers; and devices :tor opening andclosing the doors of said hoppers simultaneously and operated from a dshaft, said devices including wind: drums, connections from the doors ofeach hopper to the winding drums, and means between said shaft and eachof the winding drums ior rotating the latter, substantially asspecified.

2. A hopper car comprising, in combina tion: a car body provided with apair of transversely arranged hoppers located on the same side of thecenter sill, the bottom of each hopper being formed by a pair ofoppositely swinging, hinged hopper doors which are substantiallyhorizontal when in closed position, a common, transversely, disposedoperating shaft located intermediate said hoppers and below the centersill; and devices for opening and closing the doors of said hopperssimultaneously and operated flOIl'l said shaft, substantially asspecified.

3. A hopper car comprising, in combination: a car body provided with apair of transversely arranged, substantially flat bottom hoppers locatedon the same side of the center sill, the bottoms of the hopperssimultaneously and operated from said each set comprising tourtransversely air-- ace one being formed by hinged hotmer doors; acommon, transversely dispoimd operating shaft located intermediate saidhoppers and below the center sill; and devit .S for opening and closingthe doors of said hoppers shaft, said devices including a pair ofwinding drums, one for each of said hoppers, connections from the doorsof arch hopper to said winding drums, and means between said shaft and,each of the Winding drums for rotating the latter, substantially asspecified.

4. A hopper car comprising, in combination; a car body provided with aset of hoppers, said set com n-ising tour transversel arranged hoppers,two on each side of the center sill, and each hopper being provided witha hinged hopper door; a t 'ansversol arranged operating shaft common toall, the hoppers of said set; and devices for opening and closing allthe doors oitflaid hoppers simultaneously and operated from said St aft,said devices including a paiigot Winding drums located centrally of thecar and in the line of the center Hill, conluactions, from the doors ofeach pair olf llo]' pers to the winding drums, and flexible meant;hetween said shaft andsaid drunu; for want ing the latter, suhsthntiallyas specilicd.

5. A hopper 7M comprising, in coinhination: a air body having two sets:oil hoppers,

ranged hoppers, two on each side of the center sill, and each hopperheinr provided with a, hinged hopper door; mechaniain 'l'or opening andclosing said hopper doors, said llltPtilltU'llSlll inchuluaj; ope 'atingshafts, one for each set of lnippers; ind a cross tie se cured to thecenter sill and to the hoppers and located intermediate theadjacent hoppers of the two sets of hoppers, substan tially t s specified.

(3. A hopper ar comprising, in combination: a car body having; a hopper,said hopper being provided with. hinged hopper doors; bars secured tosaid hoppen doors; and mechanism for opc'ating said doors, including an(meratinp; aha'll, flexible con mwtions, and means "tor adjusting thelength of said conne tions. said means in-- cluding a thrauted hloehpermanently secured to said hare and a dctaclrahly pivoted eye-holtadjustahlv mounted it said hlook, substantially as specified.

7. A. hopper car eomprigiing, in combinalion. :1 car hotly [wringhoppers, each hopper being, provided with hinged hopper doors;transversely extending channels Se cured to said hinged doors andadapted to operate the latler;and mechanism tor oponing: and closingsaid doors, including an operating slmyl't, flexible connections and inurns For adjusting? the length of said connections, .said meansinehnlinp, a threaded hloch ri' yidly mounted on said channels and aneye-bolt deutrhahly pivoted to said connections and adjustahly mountedin said block, substantially as specified ARGYLIG (lAlVlllSlDlIili,

Witnesses: A

Jt'isnrn l'l Annie, I PEARL AJKIRAMS.

